Gloves, beanies, and bags are already subject to a tariff hike. Outerwear, shirts, sweaters, boardshorts, and bikinis could all be next. Photo: Visit Almaty/Pexels
Snowsports Industries America – the membership trade association for winter sports manufacturers – is seeking to rally support in opposition of recent tariffs imposed on China by the Trump Administration in an ongoing trade dispute that, according to SIA, could result in higher prices for consumers and be a major blow to the industry.
On May 10, the Trump Administration formally announced a tariff increase from 10 to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese products described as “List 3” goods. Among the 6,000 products, ski gloves, knit hats, and sports bags were all singled out. The administration quickly followed the tariff hike with a proposal for “List 4” goods on May 13 that could soon be subject to a 25 percent tariff increase, too, including performance outerwear, gloves, shirts, sweaters, headwear, footwear, ski boots, and men’s, women’s, and children’s swimwear.
Nick Sargent, the president of SIA, is concerned that tariff hikes will inevitably be passed on to consumers, and that’s bad for business.
“We know that increased tariffs will lead to higher prices, passed from manufacturers to retailers, and ultimately to consumers,” Sargent said on SIA’s website. “This is not a pro-growth strategy. Snowsports Industries America (SIA) feels strongly that if these tariffs are enacted, we’ll see our local retail businesses suffer the most so we strongly urge the Administration to continue discussions to avoid this reactive and dangerous approach.”
And while SIA has been vocal in its opposition, even going so far as to outline an action plan so those concerned can contact their local representative, it’s worth noting that the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association – SIA’s counterpart in the surf industry – hasn’t expressed similar concern on its website over an issue that could impact surf brands’ boardshorts and bikini sales in the run-up to summer. Presumably, the existing tariff on “sports bags” also refers equally to surfboard bags and snowboard/ski bags. SIMA didn’t immediately respond to The Inertia‘s request for comment.
In addition to SIA telling members to call, write, tweet, or visit members of Congress, and write op-eds, the organization is also collecting signatures on a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer urging him to remove snow sports products from its list of tariffed goods. In the letter, Sargent argues that even a small tariff increase could adversely impact snow sports equipment manufacturers. The industry as a whole, Sargent says, generates $72 billion in annual retail spending.
“We are an industry selling widely recognized brands through specialty, community-based retail shops that are the backbone of our industry,” explains Sargent in the letter. “Our economic vitality depends on tight margins throughout our supply chain and selling our products at a fair price each season. With even a slight increase in prices, the economic viability of our industry is in jeopardy and the impacts will be felt across our local communities and tourist-dependent resort towns, as well as by individual consumers in the United States.”
If and when the U.S./China trade dispute will reach a resolution is anyone’s guess. Until then, SIA is unrelenting in its efforts to spread the word about the potential impact to the snow sports industry. “It is critically important that the snow sports community elevate our concerns to our Congresspeople, to let them know what the impacts are of the tariffs to our industry, and to your specific business,” the organization said on its website.
